MLA plans rally against land acquisition for RIL
Chandigarh, July 21
Mr Naresh Yadav, Independent MLA from the Ateli constituency in Mahendragarh district of Haryana, today announced the holding of a rally at Narnaul on August 5 to protest against the acquisition of farmland by the state government for handing over to Reliance Industries Ltd.

Workers to gherao House today
Panipat, July 21
Textile manufacturers have remained adamant on their decision of not holding any talks with leaders of the Indian Federation of Trade
Unions, Panipat, heading the labour agitation in the city for the past one year.

Bridge collapse: Quality Monitors get active
Chandigarh, July 21.
Taken unawares by the collapse of a 46-year-old bridge across the Markanda river on the Kala Amb- Shahabad state highway yesterday, the Public Works Department (Bridges and Roads), Haryana, has now activated its State Quality Monitors to take stock of all bridges on the state and national highways in the state.

Vigilance probe ordered into bridge collapse
Chandigarh, July 21
The Haryana Chief Minister today ordered a Vigilance inquiry into the circumstances leading to the collapse of a bridge on the Markanda river near Naraingarh yesterday, leading to the death of four persons.

Attempt to weaken Bhajan’s base?
Tussle on for reins of Bishnoi Sabha
Hisar, July 21
The ongoing fight between a “de facto” and a “de jure” president of the local Bishnoi Sabha is being watched with curiosity by political observers.
The conflict is even being seen as a deliberate attempt to weaken the base of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, who has recently quit the post of the HPCC president.

INLD rejects govt claim
Chandigarh, July 21
Ridiculing the claim of the Hooda government regarding the investment of Rs 41,000 crore during the past 16 months, the secretary-general of the Indian National Lok Dal, Mr Ajay Singh Chautala, and a former Finance Minister, Prof Sampat Singh, said here today that it was a bundle of lies and a vain attempt to get credit.

Ajay Chautala flays govt
Karnal, July 21
Rajya Sabha MP and senior INLD leader Ajay Singh Chautala today said that a third front would be formed in the state with the active support of Left parties.
Talking to reporters this afternoon at a meet-the-Press programme organised by the Karnal Press Club, Mr Chautala blamed the Hooda government for lying on various issues related to power situation in the state.

Haryana asked to allow JBT teachers to join
Chandigarh, July 21
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Haryana Government not to restrain JBT teachers, who had been transferred before July 13, from joining their new places of posting.

Judicial remand for preacher
Rohtak, July 21
A local court today remanded preacher Rampal of Satlok Ashram, Karontha, and five others in judicial custody till July 31. They had been booked for murder last week.
They were produced before the court on the expiry of their police remand. The prosecution pleaded that the preacher had not been cooperating in the investigations and that they needed his custody further.

Farmer found murdered
Sonepat, July 21
Mahender, a resident of Chirasmi village under Gannaur police station, was found murdered on the roof of a tubewell in his fields this morning by his son, Shamsher.
On a complaint of Shamsher, the police registered a case of murder against Inderjit of the same village who had been reportedly absconding since last night.

Bus passengers robbed
Bhiwani, July 21
Several passengers in a Rajasthan-Delhi bound bus were robbed in the wee hours today. The Superintendent of Police, who received the information just after the incident, rushed the site.

Ministers sign resolution
on SEZ
Chandigarh, July 21
After the Haryana Cabinet meeting, an informal meeting of ministers was held here today to adopt a resolution to reiterate their support to the decision taken by the Cabinet earlier for setting up of special economic zones in the state.

More time given for shifting brick-kilns
Chandigarh, July 21
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has directed the Town and Country Planning Department to extend the date for the shifting of brick-kilns located in the urban zone to June 30, 2008. The earlier deadline for this was March 31, 2007.

Chandigarh, July 21
Mr Naresh Yadav, Independent MLA from the Ateli constituency in Mahendragarh district of Haryana, today announced the holding of a rally at Narnaul on August 5 to protest against the acquisition of farmland by the state government for handing over to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

Talking to reporters here, Mr Yadav said a former Prime Minister, Mr V. P. Singh, the Samajwadi Party leader, Mr Raj Babbar, and Mr P. G. Thomas of Kerala would be among those taking part in the rally. Mr V. P. Singh and the cinestar-turned- politician, Mr Raj Babbar, were opposing land acquisition by the Anil Ambani group for setting up a power project in UP, Mr Yadav said.

Mr Yadav, who reached Chandigarh atop an improvised motorised chariot, said he had been campaigning in Gurgaon and its neighbourhood since July 9 to protest against the acquisition of land by the government for the proposed special economic zone (SEZ) to be set up by RIL. He said there was no chance of the affected farmers getting employment in the SEZ. Otherwise the Reliance boss, Mr Mukesh Ambani, would have announced this when he came to Chandigarh to finalise the SEZ agreement, Mr Yadav said.

He said the Act empowering the government to acquire private land must be amended to protect the interests of the landowners. The ownership of land should not change even if an industry was set up on a particular piece of land and the owner should be made a partner in the industry having 50 per cent share, Mr Yadav said.

He added that the SEZ project would harm the Ahir-inhabited villages of Gurgaon district. “The peasants are in a state of panic”, Mr Yadav said, adding that it would not be an easy job for RIL to take over the land from the farmers. He said the social fabric of a village also got affected when farmland was taken over for industry. Poor people who earned their livelihood by working as farm labourers also bore the brunt when farmland was transferred to industry, Mr Yadav said.

The SEZ project, proposed to be spread over 25,000 acres, would adversely affect at least 50 villages in Gurgaon district where the land would be taken over by the government by paying paltry compensation to the villagers, Mr Yadav said. He warned that a big monopolistic house like RIL would also threaten small industrial units in the area.

Mr Yadav said he had raised his voice against the SEZ project long before the Congress MP, Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi, raised the banner of revolt against it. He said he opposed the project at a press conference in Chandigarh in January and subsequently raised the issue in the Assembly session held in March.

Panipat, July 21
Textile manufacturers have remained adamant on their decision of not holding any talks with leaders of the Indian Federation of Trade Unions(IFTU), Panipat, heading the labour agitation in the city for the past one year. Workers held a protest march in the city today and decided to gherao Parliament in New Delhi tomorrow demanding the implementation of the Labaur Act in the industry.

Factory owners were not interested in implementing the labour laws in their units while the administration and state government failed to solve the problems of workers. They were demanding marking of their attendance in a register, issuance of wages slip, and 8-hour duty with one holiday a week, alleged IFTU state convener P.P. Kapoor.

Demanding the abolition of contract system and implementation of the labour laws in the industry, Mr Kapoor said the workers were supposed to stay for eight hours on duty but the manufacturers make them sit for hours in wait of electricity supply or arrival of raw material resulting in the stretching up of duty hours of the workers even up to 15 hours a day for which he was paid nothing.

In addition to it the workers were not being registered in their employees register.

On the other hand the chairman of the Federation of Small Scale Industries, Mr Yashpal Malik, claiming that the factory owners had already implemented all conditions put up by the union leaders during the last one year. He alleged that the leaders were bactracking from their commitment they made at the time of agreements.

Meanwhile, the Rs 6,000-crore textile industry of the city has started feeling the heat of the ongoing labour unrest as the traders from other states were avoiding placing the orders for the coming winter season with the local industrialists

The traders were going towards the markets of Amritsar and Ludhiana apprehending that the Panipat textile manufacturers may not be able to furnish the orders within time in view of the continued labour problem in the city, said Mr Ashok Agarwal, a blanket manufacturer.

Chandigarh, July 21.
Taken unawares by the collapse of a 46-year-old bridge across the Markanda river on the Kala Amb- Shahabad state highway yesterday, the Public Works Department (Bridges and Roads), Haryana, has now activated its State Quality Monitors to take stock of all bridges on the state and national highways in the state.

An inquiry has also been instituted as to why the repeated pleas by the Ambala district administration for strengthening the bridge across Markanda were ignored. Earlier ,this week, too, the Ambala administration had asked the PWD officials to take prompt steps to repair the structure, after they had observed that the bridge was weak at certain points.

Senior officials in the department informed TNS that the State Quality Monitors, who are three former Chief Engineers from the department, have been asked to visit different highways in the state and check on the structural damage (if any) of these bridges. "We have asked the former officers to go to the field and prepare a list of all those bridges which are in need of critical repair.

They have been asked to submit a report to the department within three to four days, so that we can start taking remedial actions," informed Mr P .C Gupta, Chief Engineer PWD (National Highways), Haryana.

It may be mentioned that a number of bridges in Yamunanagar, Ambala and Panchkula districts are in need of urgent repairs. Most of these bridges were constructed three to four decades ago, across the seasonal river and rivulets."

However, because of rampant mining in the river beds in this region, the structure of the bridges were under threat ," remarked a senior official of the PWD department.

He also informed that all Executive Engineers of the department have been asked to keep 24 hour vigil on all critcical bridges within their area of jurisdiction.

"We have asked them to camp at the site of these bridges, till the monsoon period is over. In case of any eventuality, our officers can take prompt action," he added.

Meanwhile, senior
officials of the PWD led by Chief Engineer (Roads), Mr H S Chahal, today visited the site of the bridge collapse.

The traffic from Kala Amb has been diverted to Naraingarh and Yamunanagar.

Talking to TNS, Mr Chahal said that the reason for the bridge collapse was a cloudburst in the upstream of the river. "Because of large scale mining in the river bed, the gushing water was diverted through the two spans of the bridge, resulting in its collapse," he said.

Chandigarh, July 21
The Haryana Chief Minister today ordered a Vigilance inquiry into the circumstances leading to the collapse of a bridge on the Markanda river near Naraingarh yesterday, leading to the death of four persons.

Announcing this here, Mr Hooda said the bureau had been asked to give its report within 30 days. He said it was also decided to give an ex-gratia grant of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those who died.

He said the Cabinet had decided that to develop Pt B.D.S. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, as a centre of excellence, doctors at the institute would be given salary and allowances on a par with those at the PGI.

The government had extended by six months the term of the K.C. Bhalla Commission of Inquiry appointed to look into various aspects of the abolished Haryana State Industrial Security Force. The term of the G.C. Garg Commission of Inquiry to look into the clash between the police and the striking Honda workers had also been extended by six months.

Hisar, July 21
The ongoing fight between a “de facto” and a “de jure” president of the local Bishnoi Sabha is being watched with curiosity by political observers.

The conflict is even being seen as a deliberate attempt to weaken the base of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, who has recently quit the post of the HPCC president.

Mr Bhajan Lal and former Haryana Home Minister Mani Ram Godara have remained widely accepted leaders of the Bishnoi community and used to share the dais at the grand Janmashtami celebrations at the local Bishnoi Temple.

However, the custom is likely to be discontinued this time due to the differences among sabha members and the situation has arisen in the wake of changed political atmosphere in the state.

A clash broke out between the supporters of two leaders belonging to rival factions at a recent meeting of the sabha. The matter went to the police and even a case was registered in this regard.

While one faction has convened a meeting of the sabha on July 23, the other has termed the meeting unconstitutional.

Mr Sahi Ram Dudi, who claims to be the president of the sabha, has maintained that certain anti-social persons were trying to wrest the control of the sabha, while the police as well as the district administration had failed to take action against them despite specific complaints.

In a statement issued here today, Mr Dudi asserted that except him, nobody else had the right to convene a meeting of the sabha.

“The meeting called on July 23 is unconstitutional,” he said.

On the other hand, Mr Hanuman Jyani, who claimed to be the actual elected president of the sabha, maintained that Mr Dudi was never elected sabha president and had been acting as a de-facto chief till now.

It may be mentioned here that the Dudi faction owes allegiance to the Bhajan Lal group, while the Jyani faction is stated to be close to some local leaders of the Hooda group.

In the given circumstances, the meeting of the sabha scheduled for July 23 is likely to witness heated exchanges among the members of rival factions.

As of now, the situation is volatile and possibility of a violent clash at the time of the proposed meeting cannot be ruled out.

Chandigarh, July 21
Ridiculing the claim of the Hooda government regarding the investment of Rs 41,000 crore during the past 16 months, the secretary-general of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Mr Ajay Singh Chautala, and a former Finance Minister, Prof Sampat Singh, said here today that it was a bundle of lies and a vain attempt to get credit.

On the contrary, they claimed that during the present government's tenure neither had the industrial infrastructure been developed nor a new industrial unit established.

They said because of the deteriorating law and order situation, the worsening availability of power and water and increasingly strained relations between industrialists and workers, industries had been forced to relocate in neighbouring states.

The INLD leaders pointed out that the government had claimed that during the past 16 months the biggest investment had been made in the expansion of the Panipat Refinery and investment which was said to be in the pipeline related to the Nathpa Cracker Plant of the Indian Oil Corporation, the IT Park as well as the expansion of Maruti Udyog, Hero Honda and Honda Motors.

They said these projects were initiated during the tenure of the previous Chautala government. Hence, it was improper for the Hooda government to claim credit for these. They said the Chautala government had prevailed upon the IOC to undertake its projects in Haryana by offering several tax concessions and other facilities like the allotment of land.

Karnal, July 21
Rajya Sabha MP and senior INLD leader Ajay Singh Chautala today said that a third front would be formed in the state with the active support of Left parties.

Talking to reporters this afternoon at a meet-the-Press programme organised by the Karnal Press Club, Mr Chautala blamed the Hooda government for lying on various issues related to power situation in the state.

He claimed that during the INLD regime an additional power to the tune of 1400 mw was generated. The INLD leader said that Bhupinder Singh Hooda was indulging in cheap politics by giving incorrect picture of the INLD regime. He said that the foundation stone of the Deen Bandhu Thermal Power Plant at Yamunanagar was laid during the Chautala regime.

The Chautala government further established another power generation plant at Faridabad, he added. The state government had failed on all fronts.

Mr Chautala said that due to the anti-people policies, the UPA government had lost public support. He said even the main constituents of the UPA and the Left parties had also become critical of the Congress.

He firmly added that a third front with the Left parties would open new dimensions in the state politics.

In his continued attack on the Hooda-led Congress government, he said SEZ issue would be raised during the monsoon session of Parliament.

Chandigarh, July 21
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Haryana Government not to restrain JBT teachers, who had been transferred before July 13, from joining their new places of posting.

On July 17, a Division Bench of the High Court had stayed the July 13 order issued by the Haryana Government through which the large-scale inter-district transfers of JBT teachers ordered on June 30 had been cancelled.

Today, on a petition filed by Mr Naveen Kumar of Panipat, who had been transferred to Government Primary School, Ugra Kheri, Panipat, the Bench headed by Mr Justice M.M. Kumar was informed by the petitioner's counsel that despite the order of the High Court dated July 17, the teachers, who had been transferred before July 13 and who had approached the High Court against the order ,were not being allowed to join at their new places of posting.

"The counsel for the petitioner has prayed that similarly situated persons, who had earlier filed various writs, are not being permitted to join in pursuance of the transfer orders passed before July 13, 2006. We make it clear that the respondent shall not cause any obstruction in the joining of the petitioner and, if any obstruction is caused, the petitioner as well as others who have filed similar petitions would be entitled to move an appropriate application," the Bench ordered.

In its order, the Bench also said, "We also make it clear that any violation of our directions shall be seriously viewed and this may be conveyed to the Secretary, Department of Education".

The Bench also ordered the Secretary, Education, Haryana, to ensure that all district and primary education officers obeyed the orders passed by the court.

Some days ago, while staying the July 13 order of the government, the court had also asked the petitioners to make a representation to the authorities concerned within two weeks. The department was directed to take a decision in the matter within two weeks after the receipt of the representation.

A large number of JBT teachers have been affected by the state government order which had earlier offered to allow posting in the home districts to the JBT teachers. Options had been sought from the teachers and several had benefited from this step .

However, on July 13, the Director, Elementary Education, Haryana, issued single-line orders, cancelling all transfers, causing hardships to all those who had moved to places of their preference.

Rohtak, July 21
A local court today remanded preacher Rampal of Satlok Ashram, Karontha, and five others in judicial custody till July 31. They had been booked for murder last week.

They were produced before the court on the expiry of their police remand. The prosecution pleaded that the preacher had not been cooperating in the investigations and that they needed his custody further.

The court was informed that the police had registered another case against Rampal under Section 420, IPC, on the basis of a complaint by a resident of Karontha village who had alleged that part of the ashram land had been purchased by getting someone to impersonate the real owner.

The prosecution said it wanted to recover the registered deed from Pune. However, the court declined the plea saying the police could get a copy from the sub-registrar.

Rampal and his supporters had been arrested on July 12 a day after his supporters fired at a mob of villagers killing one and injuring more than 60 persons.

Sonepat, July 21
Mahender, a resident of Chirasmi village under Gannaur police station, was found murdered on the roof of a tubewell in his fields this morning by his son, Shamsher.

On a complaint of Shamsher, the police registered a case of murder against Inderjit of the same village who had been reportedly absconding since last night.

According to information, Mahender used to sleep in his fields at night. When Shamsher went to the fields this morning, he found his father murdered with a sharpedged weapon. The police brought the body to the Civil Hospital here for a post-mortem examination.

Shamsher has suspected the involvement of Inderjit as some time back Mahender and the accused had quarrelled in a case of theft in which Inderjit was being named as an accused.

Bhiwani, July 21
Several passengers in a Rajasthan-Delhi bound bus were robbed in the wee hours today. The Superintendent of Police, who received the information just after the incident, rushed the site.

According to information, a private bus, on way from Rajgarh to Delhi, was overtaken by a Tata Sumo near Noonsar village on the Rajgarh-Behal road and made the driver to stop the bus. Three armed miscreants alighted from the vehicle and entered the bus while 3-4 others took position just in front of the bus.

They ordered the passengers to give their belongings. The robbers looted Rs 45,000 and other belongings and fled away in their vehicle.

The driver, Sehal, reported the matter to a nearby police post and informed the SP who reportedly arrived on the scene within an hour.

Chandigarh, July 21
After the Haryana Cabinet meeting, an informal meeting of ministers was held here today to adopt a resolution to reiterate their support to the decision taken by the Cabinet earlier for setting up of special economic zones in the state.

The resolution assumes importance because it was signed, among others, by the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Chander Mohan, whose brother, Kuldeep Bishnoi, MP from Bhiwani, had been saying that the Cabinet was not unanimous on the SEZ deal with the Reliance.

Today’s resolution has been signed by all ministers and ministers of state.

Chandigarh, July 21
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has directed the Town and Country Planning Department to extend the date for the shifting of brick-kilns located in the urban zone to June 30, 2008. The earlier deadline for this was March 31, 2007.

The Chief Minister gave the direction after a meeting with a five-member delegation of the Haryana Pradesh Brick-Kiln Owners Association led by its president, Mr Gulshan Narang, here today.
— TNS